Stitched Up
by BecomeMyObsession
Summary: A quiet night is never a good sign. With Charlie missing and Patriots surrounding them on all sides, Miles and Monroe find themselves fighting not only for their lives but to keep the fragile stitches of their dysfunctional family together. (Rated M for language and violence).
1. Chapter 1

_This is my first delve into the fanfiction world of Revolution and I hope I managed to keep it true to the characters. I usually write TVD and SPN fanfiction; however if this goes down well I may find myself lingering here a little longer than I intend too. Which is obviously a wonderful thing. :)._

_I thought I better get this up before the season restarts, it's set a few weeks after Miles has recovered so could probably fit in anywhere post Miles's recovery and the group are reunited (let's hope that happens, I don't want Aaron out there all alone!). _

_I hope you enjoy._

* * *

___**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize. Any relation to my version of the characters and real life persons is purely coincidental. There is no copyright infringement intended.**_

* * *

_ -Stitched Up-_

It had happened so fast. They were settled around a campfire in a small clearing, none of them felt completely safe settling there for the night as they were far too close to civilisation, but they were all exhausted and a few hours of sleep seemed too good to pass up.

Miles was drawing out a makeshift plan of the area which he and Bass had mapped out while searching for patriot scouts a few hours previously. Rachel was sitting close to Miles, knees tucked up under chin, her father was across the campfire keeping one eye on his daughter and the other on Miles as he talked. Aaron was silent, his eyes watery and unfocused. Everyone knew he was suffering the loss of Cynthia and at nights his emotions got the better of him.

Charlie was on first watch, Rachel hadn't let her go easily and a brief disagreement had ensued. Gene had stepped in and said that the men needed rest if they were going to keep going and Charlie was the best option if they wanted Bass and Miles to rest properly. Somehow somewhere along the way Charlie had become trusted enough to watch their backs when they needed a solid few hours sleep. As much as Rachel hated the men relying on Charlie it was good to know Miles could sleep without keeping one eye open. It had only been a few weeks since he'd nearly died and he needed the rest. So reluctantly she'd let her daughter go; her crossbow in hands and a gun strapped to her waist, watching as she walked away and disappeared into the trees.

It was Bass who sensed something was off first, head tilted to the side as he concentrated. Miles looked at his former best friend, quickly picking up the uneasy atmosphere. They both looked at each other. _It's too quiet._ Miles dropped the stick he was drawing with and eased to his feet. Rachel watched him curiously as he casually walked over to where he'd stashed his swords. Bass climbed to his feet, sword still strapped to his waist and now gun in hand.

Miles knew the overly relaxed posture as Bass swung the gun in his hands was a façade, he was on full alert, eyes scanning the trees for movement and body ready to leap into action the second he needed too. Rachel scrambled to her feet, finally picking up that something was wrong. Aaron and Gene followed, standing just behind Rachel as she tensed up. Miles held out a hand, telling her to stay calm.

A twig snapped somewhere off to Bass's left and he shifted slightly in that direction. Miles backed up, falling into a defensive stance as patriot soldiers finally emerged from the treeline. Aaron's eyed widened and everyone's thoughts fell to Charlie who was supposed to warn them of trouble. 'No.' Rachel whispered, dreading the reality of what had become of her daughter.

Miles and Bass looked at each other, although Charlie was resourceful and could handle herself it was doubtful that that she'd survived against this many patriots. They both pushed back the pain, they were still in the fireline and couldn't afford the distraction. Miles and Bass fell back against each other, back to back, as they watched the soldiers gather around them. 'Well if this isn't luck, I don't know what is.'

'Shut up.' Miles whispered, rolling his eyes.

'You think-?' Bass trailed off, eyeing the soldier who was advancing on his left.

Miles swallowed. 'No. I don't.' Charlie's face flashed through his mind, he didn't know if he was voicing that she was alive or if she wasn't. He wasn't thinking about it. He glanced over at Rachel; she had her knife gripped tightly in her hand and was standing in front of Aaron and Gene. He could see the panic and pain etched into her face as she faced off a patriot soldier aiming a gun to her face.

Both groups were silent, staring at each other, both challenging the other to take action first. Bass shifted on his feet and a young green-eyed soldier glanced down at the movement; both men locked eyes and Bass smirked, his eyes taunting. Miles tore his gaze from Rachel, turning his head, the movement barely detectable to anyone but the man who had his back. They locked eyes, a hint of a grin pulling on Bass's lips. _Now._

Miles swung his arm round, pulling his knife from its sheath and throwing it at the man who was holding a gun to Rachel's face. Rachel jumped, eyes flying to Miles. The soldier dropped. Rachel moved for the gun and Miles, satisfied the soldier was dead and Rachel could now protect herself, turned away. Bass had leapt out of formation and had taken out the solider who had been eyeing him. He used his foot to yank his sword out of the man's chest, the soldier fell back gurgling up blood. Bass shrugged, turned around and focused his attention on taking down a soldier who was creeping up behind Gene.

The next ten minutes was a crash of swords and knifes. Gasps and shouts filled the air as Miles and Bass ripped through as many soldiers as they could. Rachel watched the blurs, trying to keep track of who was who and if anyone was hurt. She shot a soldier who'd escaped their notice and was advancing towards them, he dropped, still alive but mortally injured. She needed to work on her aim.

Aaron and Gene watched the fight with hearts in their mouths. Bass and Miles were excellent fighters but they'd both been through some tough crap these past few weeks. Both had come so close to death the other side was reachable and although they had recovered, if they were 100% could still be debatable.

Gene kept his eyes as close to Miles as possible, knowing Rachel would be heartbroken if he died. His thoughts settled on Charlie, his only granddaughter, his only surviving grandchild, he had no idea if she was even still alive. He swallowed, emotional pain making him wince. He couldn't think about it, not now, not when everyone else was still in danger. He looked at his daughter whose eyes were scanning the fight quickly, trying to keep track of what was happening. He didn't miss the quick glances she shot towards the treeline, but each time she tore her eyes away. Charlie's fate had to be decided on after the fight, as heart-breaking as it was it was important they focused on the battle and not the aftermath.

Aaron knew Gene and Rachel only really cared if Miles survived. Aaron disliked Bass but he figured, especially after losing Cynthia – anger burned through his system but he pushed it away, they really did need him if they were going to win the overall fight against the patriots. He searched the blurred figures for the man in question, eyes widening when they finally found purchase.

Bass was struggling, finding his punches blocked and his attacks rebuffed. The soldier had jumped him when he was slightly distracted tugging his sword from where it lodged itself deep into a dead body, he'd dropped his weapon and had to kick it away the solider leapt for the blade. Bass right hooked the man, he staggered away wheezing but quickly recovered and tried to kick his feet out from under him. He sneered as he dodged the kick, throwing a few punches as a distraction as he tried to find an opening.

Bass groaned when he spotted a second solider advancing on his right. His luck was bad already. Without his sword and his gun cartridge out of rounds with no time to replace them, he wasn't going to win this fight without a few injuries. He angled himself so he could face both soldiers and fell back in a defensive stance, edging backwards so he could reach his sword.

He threw back defensive punches and blocked their most dangerous attacks, he was fortunate they had both misplaced their guns. Hopefully Miles had pilfered them somewhere for him to grab later. The first soldier raised an arm and Bass ducked underneath and slammed into him from the side. The man fell back but the second soldier kicked Bass's legs and with his body unbalanced from the tackle Bass stumbled and fell to his knees. He cursed, scrambling into a crouch and launching himself at the second soldier. They both toppled to the ground, Bass landing on top, his hands grasped tightly around the soldier's neck, breaths wheezing and hands prying at Bass's before the light faded from his eyes and his body slumped back, eyes empty.

Bass barely had a second to relish in the victory before the second soldier crashed into him, sending them both flying. The tan patriot landed on top, knees digging into Bass's stomach. He grimaced, spotting his sword slightly off to his left. Throwing a hand out, he tried to keep the soldier distracted. 'You need to lose to weight man.' He grunted, wheezing in a breath as the soldier's knees pressed hard into his abdomen.

The soldier growled and Bass pulled a face in disgust as spit frothed between the soldiers lips. 'Yuck.' He eyed the man carefully, his fingers still stretching to reach his blade. 'You don't talk much do you?' His fingers finally grazed the end of his sword, he closed his eyes briefly in relief and sighed.

The sigh must have clued the soldier into what he was doing because he turned his head, surprise flashing in his eyes for a second before his hand clamped down on Bass' arm, stopping him from raising his sword. Bass groaned in annoyance before swinging his right hand and hitting the soldier's jaw, the soldier fell back and Bass quickly scrambled onto his knees but evidently not quick enough because the soldier had a knife clenched in his hand, ready to strike. He leaned back, preparing to jump for his sword as the soldier leapt towards him, knife out stretched. Bass held his hands out in defence, eyeing his sword in his peripheral vision.

Bass fell back onto his hands and crawled backwards, knowing he had to either dodge out the way or launch an attack, he wasn't going out crawling on the ground like a coward. The man raised his arm and Bass tensed his body, but before he could move the soldier stopped, stumbled back a few steps, eyes wide in surprise. His hands dropped to his stomach, blood appearing on the corner of his lips. Bass followed his eyes downwards, only then noticing the soldiers hands were clasped around an arrow that was protruding from his chest. The man's eyes flashed to Bass's, the surprise dulling as he dropped to his knees. Bass leapt for his sword, shoving it deep into the man's chest and forcing him to the ground, finally dead.

He looked up, pulling his sword from the body and wiping it on his jeans. Standing in front of him, with her hair damp from drizzle and eyes bright with adrenalin was Charlie. She grinned, crossbow in hands, holding out a hand for Bass to take. He took it, letting her help pull him upright. 'I believe you now owe me one.'

He regarded her closely, eyes scanning for injuries, satisfied there wasn't anything but shallow cuts and a few bruises he smirked, feeling faint relief run through him. 'Actually, I believe we're equal.'

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, but before either of them could speak again a tan blur had launched itself at Charlie. She dropped her crossbow, it clattered to the ground by Bass's feet. He immediately tensed, but before he could move to help her the soldier fell limp and Charlie pushed him off her. He rolled to the side, a knife sticking out his chest. She pulled her knife out and raised an eyebrow at Bass._ I can take care of myself_. He smirked and nodded, turning away and wielding his sword, before throwing himself back into the fight.

Charlie watched Bass fight. He was fast, his movements almost like a dance as his sword slashed through two soldiers and quickly moving onto a third. She shook her head, tearing her eyes away to find a soldier trying to creep up on her right. She obviously appeared to be an easy target, the sexist pricks, she sighed and threw her knife at the man. It buried itself in his chest and the soldier fell. She quickly jogged over and pulled her knife back, wishing her crossbow wasn't so long distance and didn't take so long to load.

She stashed her knife catching sight of a soldier heading for her mom. She pulled her gun, took aim and shot. The loud bang caught the attention of two more soldiers, she took them both down with headshots. Walking backwards while shooting had found her standing back to back with Miles. He'd obviously seen her appear and had watched her back while she protected her mom. ''Bout time kid. Was starting to think you'd fallen asleep.'

He didn't need to voice his worry for Charlie to hear it in his voice. 'Sorry Miles.' The unspoken words were clear. _I'll explain later. _

He eyed her carefully before shrugging. _You better. _She nodded and his lips quirked in reply. 'Here.' He threw her one of his swords, she caught it and raised an eyebrow in question. 'Watch your back.' He warned.

'Always do.' She swung the sword in her hands and Miles turned away, focusing back on the fight but staying close enough to defend her if she needed it.

Bass had been fighting, walking backwards so he was close enough to the two of them to overhear their small conversation. 'This fight needs to be over now.' _Before we attract any more attention._ He swiped out at another soldier, watching him drop back. 'There's at least another twelve.' He locked eyes with Miles quickly. _Shall we?_ They both looked at Charlie who was pulling her sword out of a soldier's chest and wiping it on her jeans.

Miles smiled slightly at his niece and shrugged. _It'd be quicker._

'Charlotte.' Charlie's eyes flicked up at Bass to show she was listening before refocusing on the soldiers in front of her. Bass smirked, watching Charlie take down another soldier. 'We're gonna let you in on a little trade secret.'

Rachel barely had time to ready her gun before the soldier advancing had dropped in front of her. A clear head shot. She looked over the soldier, expecting to see Miles or Bass but instead her eyes widened as she spotted her daughter. She barely had time to register her presence before Charlie had turned and taken down two more soldiers and was now back to back with Miles. Her daughter was alive, the relief that flooded through her was momentary as she watched her daughter communicate with Miles using barely any words and mostly facial expressions with subtle movements of their heads.

Rachel had never had that kind of closeness or communication with Miles, or with anyone for that matter. Jealousy whipped through her. She shook her head. What was wrong with her? Charlie was her daughter. Rachel watched as Bass joined her family, the three of them standing back to back in a sort of circle. Bass was another who Miles could communicate with without needing actual words. To them it had always been that way, they had known each other since childhood and Rachel figured it was engrained so deep in them that even when they hadn't talked for years it was still possible. She had accepted it then, that they could communicate with no one else understanding what they were saying, she had shrugged it off thinking it was a special talent the two had. But since her daughter and Miles had rescued her and she'd seen the silent communication between them Rachel had wondered how her daughter could understand and she couldn't. She'd noticed Charlie was starting to silently communicate with Bass too, she hadn't noticed it at first but it had been happening more and more frequently, and it worried her. She feared she was losing her daughter to the battle and blood-shed. She'd come to figure that the communication was forged through shedding blood and killing; which Charlie had been doing more and more frequently. Rachel knew with the world they lived in there was no hope of pulling her out. She would just have to protect her the way a mother should, try to keep her from falling down the proverbial rabbit hole she'd watched Bass and Miles fall down years earlier.

She watched as a flicker of a smile passed across her daughter's lips. The three of them were actually talking now, hushed and quickly. Miles and Bass were explaining something and Charlie was nodding, her eyes brightening. The familiar grin was so much like Miles and the glow of excitement in her eyes was almost an exact mirror of Bass's that Rachel felt an emotion akin to dread sink in her stomach. How much time had Charlie spent around the two that she found more enjoyment in talking tactics and fighting than being a normal teenage girl? How much of her had she lost already to the violence and killing? She hated that Bass and Miles were turning her daughter into a soldier, but as she watched the three of them spread out, Miles throwing a gun to Charlie who threw it to Bass and then passing over her crossbow, she had to grudgingly accept that maybe three trained fighters were better than two, especially at a time such as this. However, that didn't mean she wasn't going to fight with Charlie over every fight she willingly participated in. She was her mother, and that was her job.

Charlie was jittery, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She'd never done anything quite like this before and knowing Miles and Bass were trusting her in their plan was a big deal. They'd done this before, but it was a three person job and without her it would have been nearly impossible. She glanced at Miles and Bass on either side of her, each glanced back sending her a subtle nod. She readied her crossbow, watched Bass and Miles raise their guns, and fired. The next two minutes was a blur, she fired as many arrows as she could at the soldiers before ditching her crossbow and using her gun to fight her way through to the other side.

Miles grinned at his niece as she fell into step beside him, Bass on the other side. They'd successfully completed the first challenge, switch sides with the patriots. Miles and Bass fanned out, so that the three of them were surrounding the patriots in a horseshoe. He glanced up at Rachel, sighing gratefully to see that she'd moved back, and was pushing the others back towards the treeline out of the way. He moved further so that the patriots were surrounded and grinned, resisting the urge to taunt them in victory.

Bass smirked, none resisting the urge and taunting. 'Still got it.'

Charlie watched Mile's expression and read Bass's lips as he spoke. 'Show offs.' She rolled her eyes, watching both men grin in her direction obviously hearing her, but she couldn't help feeling giddy herself watching the surrounded patriots regarding the tree of them carefully, their eyes jittery and terrified.

Rachel had moved Aaron and Gene backwards when she watched Bass, Miles and Charlie rip through the patriots and onto the other side. She guessed at what they were doing, Miles had boasted about it once when he had held her captive. She swallowed the nausea at watching Charlie participate, but when the remaining few patriots were surrounded like cattle she could help but feel a tiny smudge of relief. Knowing it was over.

Gene shook his head, not quite believing what he had just watched his granddaughter do. He resisted the urge to be sick as the three nodded at each other and the shots that rained down took out the rest of the soldiers. He'd just witnessed his granddaughter massacre the remaining patriots without a thought. He suppressed a shudder.

By the time Rachel and the others emerged from the trees Charlie was passing from one soldier to another picking up her arrows and throwing any remaining guns towards a pile that was slowly growing. Bass and Miles were doing the same, accept passing the arrows they found to Charlie whenever they crossed paths. When Rachel stopped in front of them Bass and Miles paused, Charlie wrenched one last arrow from a body, closed her eyes briefly and looked up at her mother. 'Hi?' She sounded unsure.

'Charlie.' The relief in Rachel's voice was evident and she threw herself at her daughter. Her arms tightening around her and squeezing. 'I was so worried.'

Charlie winced and heard Bass chuckle somewhere off to her right. 'Mom, can't breathe.'

'Sorry.' Her mother quickly let go, her hands moving to her daughter's shoulders. 'Thank God you're okay.'

Charlie chuckled, gently removing her mom's harsh grip from her shoulders. 'I'm surprisingly hard to kill.' She glanced at Miles who was watching, amused. 'Must be a family trait.' He laughed.

'I'm not family.' Bass pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. 'Shut up.' She spoke in good humour, so Bass simply smirked and moved to pry another arrow from a body.

'Jesus. How many of these things do you have?' He handed the arrow to her.

Charlie grinned. 'Many Bass, many.'

Miles smiled at the easy going chatter between the two, he'd been wary of it at first but he'd come to realise that if they were going to stay around each other much longer they had to learn to get along. Rachel didn't like it, hearing her daughter talk to Bass as if they had been friends for years when the man was responsible for killing both Danny and Ben.

Charlie watched the flash in her mother's eyes and before her mom could lash out she stepped away and smiled. A guarded careful smile, but a smile all the same. 'I'm going to get cleaned up.'

'Wait.' She paused, turning towards Miles and cocked an eyebrow. 'Where were you? We thought you…' He trailed off, swallowing his last words. Bass stared at her, blue eyes intense as he waited for her answer.

Charlie looked at the three of them, then at Aaron and her grandpa who were standing just to the edge of the campfire. She smiled sheepishly. 'I hid in a tree.' At their mixed amused and questioning gazes she explained. 'There were too many and they appeared so fast, I wouldn't have had time to warn you before they found me.' She shrugged. 'Figured it was best I came in late and saved your asses rather than die pointlessly.'

'So you hid in a tree?' Bass's eyes sparkled, he was finding it highly entertaining.

Charlie smirked and shrugged. 'It was there.'

Miles shook his head, pulling Charlie in for a quick tight hug. Rachel resentfully watched her daughter hug back, unlike she did with her. 'Good job kid.' He ruffled her hair.

She frowned, patting her hair back down. 'Not a kid.'

Bass looked her up and down, a slow smile forming on his lip. 'No, you're not.' He mumbled quietly to himself, knowing no one heard him.

Charlie nodded at them, before walking to her canteen and splashing water on her face. It would have to do as there were more present matters at hand. 'I'm hungry.' She grinned at everyone. 'When's dinner?'

* * *

_A.N/ I know 'what a stupid place to leave it'... but never fear! There is another chapter! I found that this was becoming a lot longer than I anticpated and so the rest of the 'episode' is in the next chapter. So this has now become a multi-chapter story; and the chapter written, I am just finalising a few details. Seems the Revolution characters just like to keep going... and going... and going. Well, you get the picture. _

_If there's anything serious bothering you then please PM me and avoid leaving it in a review. I prefer people's criticism to be directed to me individually rather than out there for everyone to gawk at. .._

_Speaking of reviews though, I do love them! _

_Thanks for reading, keep your eyes peeled!_

* * *

_Twitter: _AlmostObsession


	2. Chapter 2

_You have no idea how difficult it's been to get this up! For some reason fanfiction keeps popping up with errors and I keep having to start over uploading. Hopefully this time it worked! I also have a cover image, but it won't let me upload that either! Peeved._

_Anyway, I noticed that there were a few errors on my last chapter. For some reason a load of random lettters appeared in the midddle and when I looked at my word document, nada. No idea why that happened... either way everything's fixed now._

_I hope you all enjoy this final chapter as much as you did the last one. Thank you for the reviews, favourites, follows and those who alerted me as an author. It was such a happy surprise to get so much positive feedback. I've usually discovered breaking into a new fandom can be quite difficult, so I was amazed at the support I recieved._

_Well, I shall stop going on. Here's the chapter. Finally! :). _

* * *

_____**Disclaimer: I do not own anything you may recognize. Any relation to my version of the characters and real life persons is purely coincidental. There is no copyright infringement intended.**_

* * *

_-Stitched Up: Part Two-_

Later that evening the group were back settled around the campfire. Charlie was munching on the rest of the rabbit they had caught; her appetite increased after a fight, she figured it was probably the exercise. Everyone else had finished, and were now chatting quietly amongst themselves. They were all happy, thrilled to be alive, Charlie smiled and nodded as she was expected, but she felt hollow. She couldn't explain it, just empty. She'd been so excited, alert and elated earlier, she didn't understand why she felt so down now.

Bass watched Charlie lick her fingers and glance at the rest of the people around the fire. Her eyes passed over him and he recognised the look, he sighed. Her gaze was dull, slightly glassy and when she climbed to her feet and walked away from the 'pack' he debated whether or not to follow her. He knew what she was feeling, she'd fought before but the thrill that came with succeeding in battle was always followed by a low that no one understood more than those who'd experienced it themselves.

He remembered the first time he'd felt it, when he was on tour in Afghanistan. Miles had talked him through it, sat silently beside him as he'd recovered. He knew without Miles he probably would have been in that state for days. He grimaced, easing to his feet and catching his friend's eye. Miles nodded, knowing why Charlie had left and giving silent permission to let him follow.

Miles knew that Bass needed it just as much as Charlie did. He needed to feel wanted, like he could help, and with what his niece was experiencing at the moment he knew Bass was probably the best bet. He did his best to ignore the curious glances as Bass followed Charlie, the accusations their silent eyes were pressing on him did nothing to cure his nerves. He'd noticed the way his old best friend watched his niece and the way Charlie smiled and laughed when he said something particularly amusing. He was hoping Bass would be an adult about it, Charlie too for that matter, and ignore it.

Bass followed Charlie into the darkness, she obviously had no idea he was following her as she stopped just at the edge of the treeline and slumped to the ground. Head back against the tree and her eyes closed. He regarded her for close to a minute before stepping forward, his boots toe to toe with hers. He crouched down. 'Charlotte?'

She jumped, head coming up and she scrambled upwards, hand going towards her belt where her knife was stashed. He jumped up with her, holding his hands out in surrender. 'Charlotteit's _me_, Bass.' He should have known not to surprise her like that, she was a trained fighter now and therefore always on alert.

She looked up, hands falling limp by her sides. 'Bass?' Her eyes were blurry, but she could just make out the familiar figure standing in front of her.

If the situation wasn't so dire he would have laughed, even still he cracked a small grin. The day Charlie relaxed because it was him and not someone else standing in front of her would have never even come into consideration a year ago. They both would have laughed in each other's faces. But now, as he watched her slump back down the tree, head in hands, all he could think was how much this one girl had changed everyone for the better. Mile's was more like his old self, still defensive and an excellent fighter but caring and not a cold hearted killer as the _Butcher of Baltimore_ had been. She got under peoples skin and helped them see for the better. And right now she needed his help. 'Are you okay?' What a stupid question, he knew she wasn't.

She shook her head anyway. 'I don't know what's wrong with me.' She sniffed, feeling pathetic and weak.

'You're coming down from the high of the fight.' He sat down beside her. 'It's normal.'

She peeked up at him, her first thought going to deny that she felt any high at all while killing people. But at Bass's raised eyebrow she relented, her eyes watery. He knew and she couldn't deny how she felt because he'd probably experienced it all before. Miles too. God what was she turning into? 'Really?'

He nodded, the reassuring expression looking oddly at place on his face. 'I promise.'

She swallowed. 'Why?' She blinked, a few tears escaped and slipped down her cheeks. She buried her head in her knees so it was less obvious but by the uncontrollable shudders and sniffs as she tried to hold back her tears, it was probably clear she was crying.

Bass shifted, so that he was facing her. 'I think it's because the adrenalin-'

She shook her head, cutting him off. 'No, not _why_, why am I turning into this? This isn't me.' She shook her head, more tears falling. 'Why am I so terrible that I enjoy killing people?'

'Not people Charlotte, soldiers. Soldiers who were trying to kill your family.' He felt his stomach sink at her sobs. He knew this feeling. 'It's okay to kill when you're protecting people you care about.'

'Why am I enjoying it?' She looked up, her eyes peering over her knees.

Bass felt a kind of startling pressure when he realised she was looking to him for answers. Him of all people. Him who had killed hundreds in the name of a regime. 'I'm probably not the best person to ask.' He immediately felt bad for not providing her with answers and by the broken look on her face he wasn't helping her at all. He desperately searched for an answer with some resemblance of truth. 'It's probably our bodies coping mechanism.' She looked confused, so he elaborated. 'The enjoyment of the kill is the body's way of coping, if we always felt bad when we killed we wouldn't be able to protect those we care about.' He hoped he was making sense.

Charlie nodded slowly. 'I hate it.' She sniffed.

'I know.' His voice sounded more understanding than he meant it too, but he supposed that was a good thing. 'I'm here, Mile is here for you. We both understand.' He didn't know if it was the right thing to say, two people who'd derailed and killed people in the name of a militia understood her. But from the way her sobs lessened he figured knowing she wasn't alone was helping her.

They both sat in silence for a good half an hour, she had shifted so her head was leaning back against the tree and her eyes were closed. He watched the tears lessen and lessen until they stopped. 'I suppose we better be getting back.' He knew she was still suffering, and probably would do for a while, but he hoped knowing she had support would help her recover quickly so she would be able to fight next time. She would anyway, but fighting while still feeling shit would be disastrous on her psyche.

Charlie watched him drag his attention away from the trees above them and locked his eyes onto hers. He smirked suggestively. 'Who knows what they've been thinking.'

She rolled her eyes, but his comment shot an unwanted spark through her. She pushed herself up, watching Bass do the same and they walked back to camp in comfortable silence, the firelight guiding their way.

It was late, Bass figured about elevenish, and as they reached the campsite the sight they were greeted with confirmed his thoughts. Rachel was asleep, leaning against Gene who had his eyes closed. Aaron was curled up on the ground, arm as a pillow, snoring quietly. Miles was sitting up, staring into the fire the flames reflecting in his eyes. 'Hey.' Charlie whispered softly as they came within earshot.

He looked up, a smile of his features but concern in his eyes. 'Hey kid.' He regarded her closely. 'You okay?'

She nodded, moving to sit beside him. 'I will be.'

Miles watched her settle before looking up at Bass for confirmation. 'Course she will. She's a Matheson.' Bass grinned, hoping he was reassuring his friend. 'Tough as nails.'

Charlie smiled a little, resting her head on Mile's shoulder. 'Thanks Bass.' She whispered quietly.

He looked back at her and nodded, his eyes serious. 'Anytime.' He sat down on the other side of Miles and stared at the fire.

The three sat in silence a while, watching the flames. Bass wondered how he'd gotten to where he was now, sat in a comfortable silence with the man who was formally his best friend and his little firecracker niece. Somehow he always found himself with one of them, they had both wormed under his skin and he knew he didn't want to lose either one of them… again. The Matheson's were his weakness, but somehow sitting in the light of the warm orange glow from the fire, he didn't care.

Sometime later Bass started to shift. Miles and Charlie looked over at him curiously as he climbed to his feet, picking up his sword and searching for his gun. Miles handed it to him and raised an eyebrow in question. He smirked. 'Chill you smuck. I'm not going anywhere.' He rolled his eyes at Charlie's carefully guarded expression. 'Just going to scout the area, check there's no more patriots around. We should probably leave in a few hours. Don't want to risk hanging around here much longer than we need too.'

They both nodded, Charlie lay her head back onto Miles's shoulder and Miles turned back to the fire. He sauntered away, hoping the patriots had left a few horses tethered somewhere. They would come in handy.

The later it got the heavier Charlie leaned on his shoulder, her eyes closing. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she leaned into his hold, her breathing evening out as she fell asleep. He stayed awake, watching the camp and keeping guard over the people he cared about most. He's spent so much time with Charlie in the last year even he'd come to see the changes he'd caused in her. She was quick-witted, sarcastic and more short tempered but importantly she could defend herself and keep herself and others alive, that had been obvious today. He hated corrupting her, he tried not to, but it was inevitable. Anyone who spent a certain amount of time with him in the field seemed to change, Bass and now Charlie. She'd changed from a naive girl who hated anything to do with killing to a tough strong-willed young woman who would do anything to keep the people she cared about alive. He just hoped he'd taught Charlie right, and watching her sleep peacefully made him think that maybe he'd succeeded in that.

A few hours later Bass appeared back in camp, smile bright enough to light a room – if they were in a room and not outside in the cold Miles thought bitterly. 'What?' He spoke gruffly.

'The three patriot camps we spotted earlier are empty, they must of banded together to try take us out. No idea how they found us, but now there's no one left.' He smirked.

Miles regarded him carefully. 'So, what's gotten you so peppy?'

'They left horses, and wait for it-' Miles rolled his eyes at Bass's dramatic pause, although secretly it warmed him, Bass was acting more like the man he knew before the militia and this whole mess had started. '-a wagon.'

They both grinned.

'I need some help hitching it up, so I figured I'd come back and enlist you and Charlotte.' Miles repressed another eye rolling at Bass's insistence in calling Charlie _Charlotte._ It had been an unspoken game between them, Charlie called Bass _Monroe_ and he called her Charlotte. Neither one willing to give up first. In the end he figured Charlie didn't want to keep being reminded of all the horrible things General Monroe had done and so she'd given in and switched to Bass. Still Bass had continued calling Charlie _Charlotte._ Miles guessed they liked it more than they let on. Like some hidden secret between them. Miles frowned, his thoughts going back to earlier, he would have to keep an eye on that.

He shook his head. 'Charlie's wiped. She can't hitch a horse.' He shifted. 'But I'll wake her so she can keep watch.'

Bass eyed her carefully, before looking at the other three people around the fire. 'Can't one of those keep watch?'

Miles shook his head regretfully. 'As handy as it would be, they don't have fast enough reaction skills to warn anyone if anything happens.' He watched Bass run a hand over his face. 'I might have to train Rachel so she can help.' He grimaced, knowing she would hate it. She hated him being in charge and she was almost as stubborn as a real Matheson and that took some doing. He sighed, this was a conversation for later. He shifted and turned himself towards Charlie. 'Charlie.' He whispered, sighing when she didn't move. 'Charlie I've gotta go help Bass, we need you on guard.' He frowned, pushing back his disappointment. He thought he'd trained his niece to be more alert than this.

Bass frowned. 'That's weird.' He crouched down beside Miles.

Miles turned to look at him, slightly frustrated. 'What is?'

'When I went to her earlier, she was distraught, a wreck, but she was still alert.' He regarded her carefully, pushing away the image of Charlie crying. 'She nearly attacked me when I spoke, I was standing too close.'

Miles smiled, pride filling his chest before it being overshadowed by worry. 'Then why isn't she reacting now?' He squeezed her shoulder. 'Charlie?' No response.

'Check her.' Bass stepped back a little, knowing if Charlie got up all a sudden he didn't want to be in the crosshairs.

Miles scanned her body, she didn't seem injured. He pulled her back but still made sure he was supporting her body. 'Bass get here.' Bass moved forwards, still slightly wary of Charlie jumping up. 'I need you to check while I hold her.'

'Miles man… I don't think-' Not a good idea, he shook his head.

'Either you do it or I wake Rachel up. And she's gonna be mad. At the both of us.' Their voices were harsh, but still quiet.

Bass held his hands up in surrender. 'Fine, I'll do it.' He crouched by Charlie's side and sighed. 'Hold her tight. I don't want her attacking me.'

Miles laughed softly, being careful not to jostle his niece. 'You could handle it.'

He looked up from where he had been inspecting her arm, a glisten of amusement in his eye. 'I don't think so.' He went back to her arm before he could gauge Miles's reaction. 'Her arms are fine.' He moved onto her legs, squeezing areas and trying not to think about how he was touching Charlie right in front of her uncle. He supressed a grimace. 'Legs too.' He moved to place a hand on either side of her chest and started to pat downwards.

'Oh God, I should have woken Rachel.' Miles grimaced, watching Bass touch his niece. 'Never touch her aga-'

He was cut off by Bass looking up, eyes wide in panic. He pulled his right hand away and held it up to the light. It glistened red. 'Shit.' He muttered, looking down at Charlie. 'You didn't say anything.' He talked to her like she could hear him. 'Why didn't you say anything?'

Miles swallowed the panic, he had to keep calm if he was going to fix her. He watched Bass breathe in deeply through his nose and out through his mouth, knowing he was doing the same. 'It was probably the adrenalin.' He moved her carefully in his arms. 'More than likely she couldn't feel it…. I need to get a closer look.'

Bass shook his head. 'No, you'll knock her and it could cause the wound to open more. It's already had enough abuse.'

'I need to see Bass. I need to help her.' Miles growled low in his throat.

'Let me do it, from the light of the fire I'll be able to see better than you anyway.' Bass knew he was basically asking permission to touch Mile's niece, but it was for purely medical reasons.

Miles regarded him carefully before begrudgingly nodding. 'Careful.' He warned as Bass moved closer.

He looked up, meeting Miles's eyes, the flames flickering in his eyes and his face set in a hard line. 'I will be.' His voice was firm and Miles knew at that moment he could trust his old friend.

Bass moved closer, carefully lifting the hem of her top and wincing when the dry blood peeled away to reveal fresh flowing blood. 'It's a small cut, looks deep but it explains how she lasted as long as she did.' He leaned back to grab a whisky contained from his bag, pouring a little over his hands before once again lifting up her top. He gently felt the skin around the wound, trying to judge how deep the gash was. 'It's a knife blade. Must have gotten it while fighting through the patriots.' They both immediately felt guilty. He pressed a little harder and Charlie's eyes flew open.

Bass managed to scramble back in time before she jumped up, out of Miles's frozen arms, and into a crouch. Eyes wild and ready to attack. 'Told you.' Bass whispered under his breath.

Miles ignored his friend and focused on his niece, trying to get her unfocused gaze clear and able to recognise him. 'Charlie.' He slowly stood up, testing her reaction. 'It's Miles' He knew from past experiences that she was hurting and disorientated and her training had kicked in as a defence. Protect herself at all costs. '_Charlie._' He had to get through to her. 'Charlie _listen to me_. You're hurt, bad, and you have to let us help you.'

She blinked, eyes shifting to Miles and to Bass and back to Miles. 'Miles?'

He nodded, relief flying through him. 'Yeah it's me.'

'Bass?' Bass looked up, surprised she had said his name. She was looked directly at him, her eyes still a little glassy and unfocused, but alert with recognition. He nodded. 'I'm here Charlotte.'

She frowned, shifting on her feet feeling the ground shift underneath her. 'Dizzy.' She mumbled, looking up at the two of them. Her side hurt, throbbed, and she moved her hand to apply pressure, feeling the stickiness beneath her. 'Hurts.'

She looked confused and Bass recognised the signs before Miles did, moving forwards so fast he was almost a blur just as her eyes glazed over and knees gave way, he caught her before she hit the ground. 'There has to be a first aid kit at the largest patriot camp.' He shifted her so she was in his arms, one arm supporting neck and the other her legs. 'We have to hurry.' He ignored the feelings he got as he held her and took off at a fast paced walk towards the largest camp. '_Now_ Miles.'

Miles watched Bass carry his niece away and panicked. He couldn't leave Rachel and the others here without protection but he also couldn't leave his injured niece to be carried away by his best friend. 'Fuck.' He cursed. '_Fuck_.'

His voice had obviously stopped Bass in his tracks as he turned back, face full of urgency. 'Miles get a grip. We need to help Charlie.' And without waiting for an answer, he turned and started at a slow jog away from Miles.

There were no other patriots around Miles reassured himself as he turned and followed Bass towards the trees. Bass had made sure of that, and he was thorough. They would be fine. Rachel was a good enough tracker to find them if she needed too and they wouldn't be far. He took off at a run so he could catch up.

He kept one eye on Charlie the whole time, he had slowed down to a jog once he'd reached them and was currently trying to suppress the welling panic. Soon enough they arrived at the empty patriot camp, they burst through to the clearing and Bass ran straight for the wagon, laying Charlie gently down on her side. He proceeded up pull at her top, carefully plying it away from where the blood had dried it to her skin. 'Kits more than likely by one of their beds.' He didn't need to look to know Miles was already there, searching through every bag he could find until he found the right one.

'Found it.' Miles held it up in relief before running to Bass and Charlie, he looked down at his unconscious niece. 'Never thought I'd be stitching my niece up after a battle. Always figured she'd be the one grieving me.'

'Shut up old man.' Bass's attempt on humour was not lost on Miles who cracked a small smile, the break allowing him to focus. 'Fix her before I have to do it.'

Miles set to work, cleaning the wound as Bass threat the needle to stitch the gash. They both worked in silence, each keeping one eye on Charlie to monitor any change. They had done this a million times before, back when they were together in the early stages of the militia but never had there been a time where they both knew that they were stitching up the person who had held them all together for so long. They double checked everything, sterilised the needle which should have already been sterilised, they couldn't afford to overlook anything.

Back at the campsite Rachel stirred, sensing something was wrong. She pried her eyes open, rubbing the blurriness from her eyes and blinking into the night. She looked around the campsite, beside her was her Dad and to the left Aaron who was still asleep; but Bass, Miles _and _Charlie were nowhere to be seen.

She pushed herself up, looking wildly around the campfire, hoping to see them talking a little ways off. Nothing. 'Dad'. She whispered. He stirred, eyes squeezing shut. 'Dad.'

He grumbled. 'What?'

'Wake up.' Her voice was hard, panicked and Gene immediately awoke, Aaron shortly after. They both sat up, quickly catching on to the fact they were alone by the slowly dying campfire.

Rachel bit her lip. Bass abandoning them she could stomach, but Miles _and_ Charlie? That she couldn't. She swallowed back bile and shook her head.

Gene caught onto his daughter's line of thinking and shook his head. 'No Rachel.' His daughter looked at him. 'They wouldn't leave us. Charlie wouldn't go anywhere without a fight.' Which is exactly what Rachel was thinking.

Aaron moved so he was in front of Rachel. 'Rachel, I've travelled with Miles and Charlie this past year and never once did they leave me.' He tried to get her to see. 'Over and over they could have abandoned me, but they never once did. They're loyal. Trust me.'

Rachel looked at Aaron, then her dad and back to Aaron, noting the stern serious look in his eyes. He believed in Miles and Charlie, and so should she. But they hadn't seen what Miles had been before he'd returned to them. They hadn't experienced the wrath of General Monroe first hand. 'Let's go find them.' Gene moved so he could climb to his feet, stopping his daughters spiralling thoughts as she looked up at him. 'There will be a good reason to why they took off leaving us without a guard.' He held out a hand for his daughter. 'Just you see.'

They were halfway across the clearing when the sound of hooves stopped them in their tracks. They all crouched low, waiting for the soldiers to find them. Rachel cursed, hoping she would get to see Charlie again. Horses pulling a wagon appeared from behind the trees, heading in their direction. Gene moved to run, as did Aaron. 'We won't get anywhere.' There wasn't any use running. They watched the wagon approach them.

Charlie was leaning against Bass in the back of the wagon, head lolling on his shoulder. Miles was up front, driving the horses. Bass was in the back with her because for some reason she wanted him there, grabbed a hold – weakly may he add – of his collar when he'd pulled away, so he stayed. She'd woken up not long after they'd stitched her up, lucid but groggy. 'Where we going?' She mumbled into Bass's shoulder. She was in and out every few minutes.

'To find the others.' He replied, resisting the urge to use their nicknames he'd given them over the weeks. Although they appreciated the joking, offending her family when she could barely defend them was a little below the belt.

She nodded, her head rubbing against his shoulder. He held her arms when the wagon came to a halt, any harsh knock could cause the wound to reopen and they didn't have enough thread to keep re-stitching. 'Can you keep awake long enough to reassure your mom we didn't kidnap you?'

The weak laugh she gave was a good enough answer. Bass grinned at her and Miles, they were both slightly giddy with relief that they hadn't had to watch her die.

'What the-?' Rachel's surprise was comical and Miles found himself repressing a laugh.

He stroked the seat beside him and smirked. 'Like it?'

'Where did you find that?' Aaron stared at the wagon, relief in his eyes. They had obviously all thought the patriot soldiers had found them.

'I did.' Bass spoke, causing Charlie to groan as he moved. He helped her into a sitting position. 'We did not kidnap Charlie.'

'Promise.' Miles chuckled, knowing what Rachel's first thought would have been when she woke up. 'She was injured in the fight, we had to stitch the wound.'

'What?!' Rachel immediately went for her daughter, but the urgency of her movement caused Charlie to sink back into Bass, eyes wary. Sudden movements was something she wasn't ready for yet.

'Easy' Bass warned, holding out a hand. He looked down at Charlie. 'You okay?' When she nodded he turned his attentions back to Rachel who looked hurt at her daughter's actions. He tried to explain. 'She's hurting and on edge.' He tightened his grip. 'Gene we need you to check that the wound won't get infected.'

Miles looked at his niece. 'It shouldn't do, we've stitched injuries before but-'

Gene knew what they were getting at, it was better to be safe than sorry. They didn't want what happened to Miles to happen to Charlie. Their stubborness could one day be their downfall. He slowly climbed onto the wagon, edging towards his granddaughter. 'Charlie.' He greeted.

She smiled weakly and moved so he could lift up her top. He looked at the wound closely, nodding before pulling back. 'She should be fine but the wound needs redressing daily.' They both nodded, already knowing this. 'You did a good job.' He looked at Rachel and Aaron who were still standing on the ground. 'Come on, I want to find shelter before dawn.' At Mile's nod they both climbed onto the wagon and settled back against the side.

Rachel watched Charlie lay her head back onto Bass's shoulder and his arm automatically tighten around her as she closed her eyes. 'Hey.' She mumbled, directing it at everyone. Aaron grinned a hello back. 'Can I sleep now?' She reopened her eyes and looked up at Bass.

'Now your Mom knows that we don't plan on kidnapping you?' He smirked in Rachel's direction, before his face fell serious. 'Yes Charlotte, you can sleep.'

She grinned and reclosed her eyes, Bass's voice keeping her teetering on the edge of sleep. 'When you're back to normal there's no more using me as a pillow.'

She chuckled slightly, her voice breathy and couldn't help her reply. 'Watch me.'

Charlie's breathing levelling out in a matter of minutes and she was sound asleep. Rachel watched her daughter slumber for a while before turning to her Dad, finding him fast asleep in the corner. She could already hear the familiar sound of Aaron snoring. She regarded Bass carefully as he stared out the back of the wagon as it bumped down the road. 'I can feel your stare. It's creepy.'

Rachel sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. 'Sorry.' She looked away,

Bass could practically hear the thinking clogs in Rachel's brain, in the end he was unable to take it any longer. 'What is it?' He sighed.

'Nothing.' She hesitated. 'Just, what are you doing with Charlie?'

He frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'You looking after her, following her, helping her.' She frowned. 'Why?'

Bass looked at Charlie, she was still sleeping soundly, before looking back at Rachel. It was a good question. Why did he care so much about protecting Charlie? 'She's a good fighter, we need her.'

Rachel shook her head. 'No, no it's more than that.' She tilted her head. 'Do you care about her?' Rachel didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing if Sebastian Monroe cared about her daughter. He would protect her but he was unpredictable and dangerous.

Bass sat back, closing his eyes briefly. 'I don't know Rachel.' He looked at her, knowing Miles was listening to his every word. 'I don't know.'

Sometime later Miles pulled the horses to a stop, Rachel had fallen asleep a while ago but Bass was still awake. He looked at Miles curiously as he climbed out the wagon. 'There's an abandoned farmhouse a few hundred yards through those trees.' He shrugged. 'Thought I'd check it out before waking everyone up.'

Bass nodded. 'I'll keep watch.' He paused, watching Miles walk away. 'Miles.' He watched his old friend turn half way back in acknowledgment. 'Be careful.'

Miles rolled his eyes. 'Always am.'

* * *

_A.N/ I know, such an 'amazing' ending! But this was only supposed to be a one-shot and it had already gotten away with me. Charlie's now safe and the gang have moved on so it was a good of a place to leave it as any. If people like it then I may continue it in a sequel as I have a few ideas, but it needs the support because I have a TVD fanfic on the go which for some reason is quite popular. I have have a few on hold, so you can see why I need to know that people want me to continue. _

_Reviews are wonderful things._

_Thank you for reading and welcoming me to the world of Revolution. I'm finding it a refreshing and intruiging place to be ;)._

_-N. x_

* * *

Twitter: Almost Obsession


End file.
